Been rewatching the Sinnoh anime recently- I know the animation is pretty generic but it holds a special place in my heart.
…hope people are kind about the upcoming Presents.
Our version is expected to drop in June or July, hopefully. Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
"I am so much stronger than you." Those words echoed in Cinder's head for a few moments, before both the voice and words shifted to those of another.
"Salem's had her claws in you for a while. She molded you to be without mercy. You harmed my daughter, threatened my tribe, and killed my second without an ounce of guilt. Now, let me return that pain back to you, tenfold," the voice of Raven said in the Maiden's mind, reminding her of her failure. That was the last straw, the excuse the Fall Maiden needed to let out her fury.
"Old HAG!" Cinder cursed, morphing her dagger into a truly massive glass, and flame-infused greatsword, the same one she used during her battle with Raven. The Fall Maiden was going to rush the older woman, her massive blade leveled to make impalement easier. She screamed as jets of flames appeared beneath her feet, ready to propel her forwards, but Fria put a stop to that immediately. A whirlwind appeared around the older Maiden after she rose into the air, slowly freezing everything around her. Cinder tried to go through with her charge anyway, but her sword and Grimm arm were quickly partially frozen, the latter of which caused her to yell out in pain and stop her attack.
The door from the second ATD pod was torn off its hinges by those same galeforce winds and thrown towards Cinder. She rolled out of the way, letting the door fly up and smash through the observation room window. An exit, perfect. With no other choice, Cinder stretched her Shadow Hand up into the room and pulled herself out of the surgical theater. She just needed to wait for this whirlwind to die down.
"Your quest for power overwhelms any common sense. Have you not realized? That maybe someone as old as I am...has a greater understanding of what it is to be a maiden?" Fria asked. "You're still a hatchling, someone who is just tapping the basics."
Fria held up her hand, ready to blast away this pretender. "To be a Maiden is to be one with the force of nature itself..."
But then, Fria's confident demeanor shattered. Her hands jolted up to her head, a sharp pain shooting into her skull. Her condition was worsening and she could feel it. With a cry of pain, the whirlwind expanded, freezing over the entire room and blasting a hole in the roof. The ice storm that had been conjured was enough confirmation to Winter and Penny that Fria was still alive.
Fria collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. She wasn't the young woman she used to be...she wasn't the protector of Mantle.
Like the good old days.
Fria tried to maintain the blizzard.
Instead of just maintaining it, the blizzard increased in intensity.
"What...is that?" Penny gasped.
"The power of a fully realized Maiden," Winter answered. The duo landed on the roof of the medical facility and immediately Winter raced over to the open hole. She reached her hand out towards the storm, but three fingers of her glove were frozen and ripped away by the wind.
"It's too cold!" Winter yelled over the storm, pulling back her freezer-burnt fingers and shaking her hand, "But we have to get in there..."
"I'll go." Penny looked determined.
"What?"
"I'm built to withstand both sides of the climate spectrum. Heat AND ice." Penny said. "I will help Fria!"
Without even waiting for a response from her partner, Penny took a running start and dove headlong into the ice storm.
"PENNY!" Winter shouted, the name laced with concern.
Penny flew through the blizzard, ice and hail pelting her aura. It was hard to steer though the blizzard...but Penny wouldn't allow herself to falter here, not for a second!
I can...bring up thermal! Eunice suggested, her voice struggling to be heard even over the howling winds of the blizzard.
I can make it! Penny thought. Fria needs me! She's powerful...but she's alone...and no one should EVER be alone in times of trouble.
I know! I meant thermal vision! You can't -see- her! Eunice added.
Oh! Then...yes, please! Penny said. She closed her eyes and, when she opened them, she could see a heat signature at the center of the ice storm, doubled over from pain, but the storm kept going. The mechanical girl flew closer, buffeted by the winds but undeterred.
"Miss Fria!" Penny called out. The older woman looked up to see Penny land next to her.
"Are you ok?" the new Protector of Mantle asked.
"I had...a job to do. I was supposed to protect the power of the Maiden until myself and Winter were ready," Fria began, her lips curling into a sad smile, "But I worry I may have lost track of time. But you can tell James that I'm ready."
"Ma'am, if you do that..."
"I'll be gone. I know. My memory may not be what it used to, but I remember that, Miss...?"
"Penny. My name is Penny," the android answered.
"Penny..." Fria chuckled. "Such a nice, nice name..." her eyes started to flutter, getting harder and harder to keep open.
"Miss Fria?" Penny asked, trying to keep her conscious.
"So formal..." Fria chuckled. "Please, just call me Fria."
"Fria...please, stay, stay with us."
Her vitals are dropping fast, Eunice warned, bringing up a projection of the Winter Maiden's heart rate.
"I thought...Winter was the one, but I wonder...are you?" Fria asked.
"W-what?" Penny asked, as Fria reached out her hand.
"Penny..." Fria smiled. "You...have a very important task ahead of you..."
"But...but I..." Penny muttered, instinctively taking hold of Fria's hand.
A red hot glow appeared behind one of the frozen walls of the operating theater, steam rising off the sheet of ice before the frost outright shattered. Cinder lowered her hand and her gaze locked onto the two different generations of Mantle's protectors.
"No...she's MINE!" Cinder screeched.
Penny stared at Cinder for a second.
I can hold her back... Eunice said.
How? Penny asked.
Lend me your eyes.
...ok, Penny said, closing her eyes for a moment. Cinder screamed as she charged at the two protectors, leaping into the air with the goal of skewering them both on this one spear. When Penny opened her eyes again, they were solid green. The Fall Maiden's one amber eye went wide as she recognized that, before her enemy's eyes started glowing. Aerophibian neuroshock blasts fired out of Penny's eyes and knocked Cinder out of the roof, making a smaller, second hole that Winter could jump down through.
Fria blinked at the peculiar sight, before she just smiled,"...you kids are getting so creative nowadays. You're special, aren't you?"
Penny blinked, eyes returning to normal. "Y-yes. I...I am."
Winter hopped down through the hole that Cinder had created and, after tumbling from the impact, her eyes focused on the duo.
"No..." Winter muttered.
The ice shattered again behind Winter, an enraged Cinder reappearing with twin glass-swords in her hands. Ironwood's right-hand soldier got into a fighting stance, both weapons at the ready as well.
"The ice queen dies first then," Cinder growled.
Winter gritted her teeth, preparing herself for the incoming attack. She knew that she was badly injured and exhausted from the previous fight, but she couldn't afford to let her guard down. Cinder charged forward, swinging her glass-swords in a deadly dance. Winter blocked the first strike with her sword, but the second one slipped past her guard and sliced a shallow cut across her shoulder.
"You're slipping." Cinder grinned.
Winter stumbled back from the blow, feeling the sharp pain on her shoulder. Her wounds were catching up to her and her movements were becoming slower, but she refused to give up.
Winter lunged forward, aiming for Cinder's midsection. But the Fall Maiden was too quick, and she deftly sidestepped Winter's attack. Cinder took advantage of Winter's failed attack and began a flurry of attacks, each strike hitting its mark. Winter tried to block and dodge, but her movements were sluggish and her reactions dulled by exhaustion. She felt her strength draining away with each blow, and knew that she couldn't keep this up for much longer.
Cinder landed a heavy blow to Winter's side, causing the Atlas elite to stumble and gasp for air.
With one final strike, Cinder reformed the glass greatsword, reared it back for a strike and, once Winter had recovered, slammed it right into her side. The cut wasn't too severe, but it was still deep enough to draw blood, a splattering of the crimson liquid staining the frozen floor. Winter flew into a wall and bounced off it, a red splatter appearing behind her. Cinder grinned as she dragged the sword behind her, causing a trail of sparks to fly and ice to shatter beneath the sword's weight.
"After this...I think I'll pay your sister a visit, Winter," Cinder threatened.
Saying that was the worst thing anyone could have said, especially in this dire situation. Penny's eyes started glowing.
Fria's grip slowly faded in Penny's hand.
And then Penny felt it.
Cinder grabbed the greatsword's hilt with both hands, raising it above her head, ready to cleave Winter in two. The elder Schnee sister stared down what might've been her death for the second time tonight. The Fall Maiden grinned, but before she could bring the blade down, both of the women noticed something float gently between them. It was a single snowflake. Cinder's expression of mad glee turned to confusion, then to angry realization.
"No...no, no, no, NO!" Cinder yelled, turning to face the girl she should have been focusing on.
"Penny...?" Winter asked with some strain, her still gloved hand held over the cut in her side, her body a mess of cuts and bruises, one of her eyes even forming a black circle around it.
Penny stood back up, still holding Fria in her arms. "Thank you...thank you so much..." Penny muttered. Her eyes lit up again, both with that signature maiden flare...and that powerful green gaze from earlier.
"You will not harm my friends!" Penny yelled, as she fired the ultimate laser.
"NO!" Cinder yelled, forming up an obsidian shield just in time to tank the blast. A green explosion shook the room, followed by the shattering of glass. When the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Cinder. But that wasn't the best sign, because there was no sign she had died. No ash, no body, just a collection of broken glass shards.
The glow in Penny's eyes faded away as she dropped to the ground. Her grip on Fria remained strong though, she dared not drop the deceased. She hurriedly put her on a bed and then rushed over to Winter.
"W-winter. Are you okay!?" Penny asked.
"Penny...I..." Winter started, but she quickly seized up in pain. The once blue glove she still had was getting stained crimson.
We can cauterize the cut! Low power, precise beams! Eunice suggested.
"R-right." Penny said, as she prepared. "Winter...I'm sorry if this stings a little..."
"D-do it already..." Winter said.
"O-ok," Penny said, moving aside Winter's hand to see the wound. Her eyes quickly turned green again and, with the precision of a laser scalpel, she cauterized her friend's wound. "Sting" was not the right word to use for the pain Winter felt as flesh was seared shut; no, the better descriptor was "suffering."
Winter tried to hold in the scream; this was pure agony. It felt like her wound was being electrocuted shut.
Winter breathed heavily as Penny ended her cauterizing. "T-there. It's not perfect, but..."
"I won't...bleed out...now..." Winter said between breaths. The Specialist's eyes lowered to the now limp Fria in Penny's arms. Part of her felt as if she'd failed. Ironwood had given her this responsibility and the power wasn't in her hands, but other parts of her felt a mix of sorrow and pity. Penny had taken this burden to save her life...and in doing so, painted a target on her back.
Neo and Albedo were searching every inch of the Academy grounds for the farmboy and the Relic. The two weren't that close to the newest incarnation of Ozpin, they hadn't really interacted much outside of some tech support questions for Albedo and sparring sessions for Neo, but that didn't mean they were just going to abandon him. But the search was a bit more of a double-edged sword than either one would've liked. One on hand, with the evacuation still underway, the halls of Atlas Academy were mostly empty, save for the occasional patrol of soldiers or Knights sent to detain them.
"Oscar! Oscar, apologize for my crass language, but things have gone to crap!" Albedo yelled. He'd seen the arrest warrant and if it had anything to do with that meeting from earlier...
Albedo closed his eyes. "Damn it..."
Where the hell could he have gone? Neo wondered, looking for any sign of the farm boy, the smallest hint would do, Couldn't have just vanished...right? That...that's not his Semblance?
"No. His is more of a direct shield...I think. It's hard to know for sure if that barrier is tied to his Aura...or Ozpin's," Albedo admitted.
Well, wherever he is, I'm worried. Neo said. That poor, small thing couldn't survive the winter.
"You forget he has basic training and took down Lionheart by himself. And some notable intelligence. I think he could fend for himself."
Ok, fair... Neo sighed, as the duo continued their search. For a minute, the idea that Oscar had already been captured crossed his mind. Maybe the scorch marks and destroyed Knights were his work before a Specialist brought him down. But that was a worst case scenario. A slightly better version is that Oscar managed to escape and now he's on the run from said Specialist.
"Oscar!" Albedo yelled as he and Neo ran, "If you can hear me-!"
"Albedo? Over here!" Oscar called out from around a corner. The human Galvan made to round the corner, only to suddenly set himself up for a clothesline move. Someone had just slammed their arm into his throat and the inverse-colored Ben fell flat back on his back.
"I CANNOT believe you fell for that," "Oscar" said, before his voice started to shift back to his normal tone, "Aren't you supposed to be a super-smart alien? C'mon, where's that 'genius intellect?'" A towering juggernaut of man stared down at the prone Albedo, his face covered by a terrifying pig mask.
"How...how did you-?" Albedo asked.
"Vocal mimicry. Handy Semblance. Tapped someone's shoulder on the way in and got lucky. I mean, what are the odds right?" Raddock chuckled.
And then Raddock felt something press against his throat. Raddock grunted in pain as Neo choked him with her parasol.
But then the towering criminal laughed as he broke free from Neo's chokehold. "Not bad, little Miss Ice Cream. But you'll have to do better than that." He swung his massive arm at her but she dodged with ease.
I know you...you're that muscle bound idiot from the Hana Guild. The hell are you doing here? Neo asked. But Raddock didn't know sign language, so he just blitzed towards her. However, he just smashed through an illusion like a glass window. Neo reappeared next to Albedo, a frown on her face.
We have an issue. Neo frowned.
"That we do..." Albedo said, readying up a transformation. Raddock huffed and turned to face his new duo of opponents, causing something on his belt to jingle and catch Neo's attention. Strapped to his belt was the lamp.
He has the lamp?!
Albedo frowned. "Not for long." Albedo slapped down the Ultimatrix, and transformed into Echo Echo.
"Our tactic- overwhelm him. Distract him. Anything to get the lamp back..." Albedo planned as he cloned himself. One clone jumped back and took off down the hall, hoping to find Oscar.
"Aww! Tiny little footballs!" Raddock smirked. "These bastards will be fun to kick."
Neo narrowed her eyes and extended Hush's blade from the top of her parasol, getting into a combat ready stance. Raddock grabbed his signature flail off his belt and activated it, letting the heavy head drop to the ground with a thud. He was about to make his move when-
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" the real Oscar said, leaping out at Raddock from the hallway he just came from and landing a few good cane strikes to the kingpin's chest. He tried to swipe the lamp off of the brute's belt, but an Atlesian Knight quickly appeared and grabbed the farm boy by the collar before throwing him into the nearest wall.
The hell?! Neo signed. The knight jittered and creaked, creepily turning its face towards Neo before a Geist mask appeared over the usual T-shaped visor of the android.
"A Giest." Albedo muttered, as some of the clones ran over to help Oscar up.
"You okay?" One clone asked.
"I'm fine. He cornered me in my room and tried to beat me to a pulp. Had to call his little friend to assist." Oscar frowned. "How's he doing that?"
"He can...control it?" another clone asked, "But I thought-"
"Yeah, not half bad for a 'muscle-bound idiot' right?" Raddock grinned behind his mask.
"No one called you that...even if it is right," Oscar said.
I did, Neo confirmed.
"Floyd, your guns still work right?" Raddock asked the Geist. A light hiss came from the possessed android as it pulled out a standard issue Atlesian rifle.
"Perfect! Mow 'em down!" the Hana Guild boss bellowed.
Salvos of bullets started raining down on the group. The clones started rapidly multiplying, creating a strange makeshift wall of clones to block the shots. Albedo called the technique 'layering'. It was a pretty decent shield, too.
Raddock smirked and reared back his flail, sending it flying out and knocking through the clones like they were nothing more than bowling pins. Neo reached out with the "hook" of her parasol handle and pulled at the cord that connected head to handle, jerking it down and throwing the criminal off-balance for a minute. Oscar took the chance to race in and focus his attention on the android. He dodged a few shots from the android before deftly smacking away Floyd's rifle with his weapon. The possessed android looked at its now empty hand and opened and closed it curiously.
"Gonna fist fight me?" Oscar taunted, before the machine extended its arm-blades, "...I always forget they can do that."
Albedo quickly jumped in to assist both of his teammates. HIs clones quickly dogpiled the two threats, slowing their movements and making it hard for them to see.
"Fuckin- GET OFF!" The Hana Guild member yelled.
As for Floyd, he had no problem with slicing through the clones at every opportunity he got. He even loosened the joints in his mechanical shell's midsection and began spinning. Clones were sent flying as the top half of the possessed android turned into a spinning flurry of blades. Raddock even took the chance to rid himself of some of the clones by holding out his arm and letting Floyd precisely rip through them. With one arm free, he began grabbing, tossing, and brutalizing the other clones in any way he could.
Of course, seeing a small Albedo getting his head slammed into the nearest wall did not sit well with Neo. The mischievous mute sneered and charged at Raddock, risks be damned. Her blade retracted and she opened up her parasol in the kingpin's face, sort of like an improvised shield bash. As quickly as it opened, it closed and Neo began to strike Cinder's new lapdog over and over. Left, right, left overhead, even throwing in a roundhouse kick for good measure, but that last part was where she overestimated her chances. Raddock caught the multi-colored girl by the ankle with his free hand. Red and pink Aura shimmered and mingled before the kingpin lifted her over his head before slamming her back down into the ground. He retracted the flail head back to handle and moved to smash her head in with a quick downward blow, but all he hit was another glass copy.
Neo had used her semblance to create a decoy, and in that moment she had scrambled to her feet and leaped towards the nearest wall, using it to propel herself towards Raddock. Her parasol now in sword form, she landed a hard hit on his shoulder, causing the kingpin to stumble backwards. Neo saw her opportunity and charged forward, striking again and again with her blade.
Raddock fought back, swinging his flail with deadly precision, but Neo was too quick for him. She danced around him, dodging his attacks and striking him where she could. It was slowly turning one sided.
But Raddock wasn't as dumb as Neo liked to believe. See, thanks to a friendly relationship with the Spider, Raddock had access to some top-shelf information on Torchwick's operations. It wasn't that he had ever actually planned to make a move on Vale, but it always helped to have some cards in your hand. He lost the vocal mimicry and, in a shimmer of red glass-like particles, Raddock's visage shifted. Instead of the hulking brute, Neo was now face to face with a rather petite girl with fully brown hair, similarly colored eyes, dressed in a formal black dress, complete with a bow and a bronze triskelion pin shining on her.
Neo's eyes went wide at seeing the girl, a face she hadn't seen in years and the next attack she was preparing for never came. Instead, the girl grabbed Hush and pulled it forward, bringing Neo along with it. She then reared back and slammed her head into Neo's repeatedly.
Neo's world spun as the other girl continued to bash her head against hers. She could feel her aura faltering, the pain becoming too much to bear. She tried to fight back, swinging her parasol at the girl, but the hits barely made a dent. In the end, Neo was forced to retreat, stumbling back and collapsing against the wall.
"Heh...knew that'd pay off." Raddock smirked. "Was it fun seeing her again?"
Neo said nothing.
"Why are you even running with these clowns?" Raddock scoffed. "Didn't one of them kill your boss?"
...I could literally tell you anything and you wouldn't understand it, would you, you son of a bitch? Neo sneered.
"No clue what you said, but I'm going to assume," Raddock said, before his visage shifted into that of Albedo, "That it's got something to do with this guy."
Neo's eyes widened, before Raddock picked her up. "What? Can't fight back if it's this dude?" He laughed. "You're so pathetic..."
The fake Albedo's fist connected with Neo's face, knocking her back. Her Aura visibly flickered across her body, before Raddock's flail launched in her direction again. Hush opened up and the head bounced off the barrier with an audible clang. The multi-colored girl lowered her shield, trying to go back on the offensive, but Raddock had used his flail as a distraction. He'd closed the distance so that, when Neo lowered Hush, he was right on top of her. His massive hand grabbed her by the head before Neo was slammed to the ground. The kingpin brought up his foot to stomp down on Neo, but she managed to roll out of the way, hooking his ankle with her parasol's handle and tripping him up.
Raddock stumbled and fell to the ground, his flail clattering loudly beside him. Neo seized the opportunity, leaping forward and striking him with her parasol. The blade glinted in the light as it sliced through the air, striking Raddock again and again. Blood flowed freely from his wounds, staining the ground beneath him.
Neo was getting ANGRY. Very, very, very angry...it was like...her rage couldn't be contained.
It wasn't that she knew it was an illusion.
It was just that Raddock was stupid enough to try and use his face against her.
Despite being stabbed, the kingpin actually laughed. He grabbed a hold of Hush's blade and stared right back at Neo.
"There she is! There's the little murder-gremlin Torchwick was famous for!" Raddock grinned. Neo's anger just kept rising and, unbeknownst to her, the glass-like effects of Overactive Imagination shimmered around her legs and then down into the academy floor. Like a ripple on the surface of a lake, the particle effects spread out and turned this small section of the academy into a Kuchinashi park, complete with an eastern-styled fountain.
Albedo and Oscar were dealing with Floyd, both dodging the wild swings of the ghost Grimm's mechanical shell. Oscar was currently locked in a struggle against Floyd, pushing back against the android's blades. A spiderweb suddenly latched to the back of the android's head and yanked it back, courtesy of Albedo as Spidermonkey. Before either opponent could take advantage of the opening, their surroundings shifted.
"Uh...what?" Oscar blinked, looking around at the fake surroundings.
"This is...Kuchinashi?" Albedo asked in surprise.
The possessed android wasn't exactly much for sight-seeing, though. Floyd rotated his arm so that, in the process, it would slice through Albedo's webbing. With his head now free, he was able to kick Oscar away and give himself some space. Oscar actually landed on a park bench that was created through whatever power this was.
"It's...real?" Oscar asked, tapping the bench in confusion, "Ooookay." He couldn't focus on the oddity for too long, as Floyd lunged at him with both arm blades extended. A flash of red shone from behind the android and Diamondhead jumped in the way of Floyd's attack. The android's blades clashed against a crystalline shield, barely leaving a scratch. With an opening, that shield slammed into Floyd's face before Albedo morphed his arm into a sword of his own and sliced one of the android's arms off. The possessed machine stumbled back as sparks and black mist leaked out from the Knight's chassis. Floyd hissed as his cyclopean eye darted around, looking around for a replacement.
As for Raddock, despite being pinned by Neo's weapon, he could only grin at the situation. Paying her back for the trip, he kicked and swept Neo's legs out from under her, giving him just the opening he needed. As she began to fall, the kingpin pulled his legs up to his chest and kicked out, nailing Albedo's companion in the chest and sending her flying. Hush's blade was wrenched free from his shoulder, letting the brute of a man jump back up to his feet. He raced over and quickly retrieved his flail, opening up a slot in the weapon and putting a fire Dust crystal inside. The weapon's head gained a crimson glow to it and, with a pull of the trigger, the head was launched at Neo, igniting mid-flight. The multi-colored mute began to stagger to her feet in front of the recreated fountain, her eyes shimmering with the shard-like effects of her Semblance.
The flail was racing ever closer to her, but she didn't seem to really care that much. In fact, she was downright grinning. She didn't care about that damn lamp anymore, it could shatter for all she cared. Right now, her focus was tearing Raddock apart. The flaming flail-head made contact, shattering Neo into pieces, but the shards didn't fall. Instead, Neo, now atop the fountain, gave a flourishing bow and launched the shards around in a circling storm. Raddock braced himself for the oncoming whirlwind, the shards cutting into his Aura and flesh. Floyd, taking notice of the attack as well, fully submerged into the one-armed metal shell and let the shards simply spark against the metal. Both of Cinder's new followers were put on the backfoot, but Neo could care less about who she was hitting right now. As long as it was Raddock, she was satisfied. She made more illusory versions of the girl Raddock had worn the face of and Albedo atop the fountain and shattered them herself with quick strikes from Hush, adding more and more shards to the glass storm. Her rage blinded her to the fact that Oscar and Albedo were holding off the shards as well, Albedo with his diamond shield and Oscar with his Aura shield.
"Has she ever done this before?!" Oscar yelled.
"No, never! I didn't even realize her Semblance's effect could extend this far! It's almost...oh no," Albedo realized what was happening, "That idiot!"
"What?"
"Whoever Raddock turned into, then when he turned into me, it must have made Neo's Semblance go Berserk!"
"Not exactly what I signed up for," Raddock grunted as shards sliced into his bare arms, his dark red Aura flickering with each cut, "Well guys, it was fun! Floyd, give 'em our goodbye present then get your ass out of there!"
The possessed droid nodded and marched closer to the fountain, ignoring all the cuts that would deter any sane person. Neo could somehow sense Floyd's approach and, as if she was conducting an orchestra, motioned for some of the shards to merge together into much larger pieces. With a quick snap, those giant shards stabbed into Floyd's robotic body, pinning it in place. But honestly, that just worked out in Raddock and Floyd's favor. Two things were activated in the android before Floyd seeped out of the Atlesian Knight as a collection of black smoke. Shards couldn't cut mist, after all. The Atlesian Knight's visor began to flash red, getting progressively faster.
"NEO!" Albedo called out, twisting the dial slamming down on the Ultimatrix logo, shifting from Diamondhead then into Ultimate Fasttrack. A layer of armor appeared over the usual feline form, complete with arm and leg guards and a mask that had aspects of a fighter pilot's. Leopard-like spots dotted the arms, legs, and chest piece, before a layer of pure red energy engulfed the evolved Citrakayah, even if it left Albedo still visible. He raced over and grabbed Neo off the top of the recreated fountain, shielding her from the blast of the self-destructing robot.
As the smoke settled and bits of debris started to rain down, Oscar tried to find Raddock. The new incarnation of Ozpin held his cane at the ready, just in case the duo had decided to stay and fight. But there was nothing.
"They got away," Oscar muttered.
And yet, I sense we're not done fighting yet, Ozpin said in the boy's head, On your left. With that, Oscar dodged Albedo coming at him after he was smacked in the jaw.
"What the-?! Radock?!" Oscar asked, getting back into a fighting stance.
"No..." Albedo answered, his eyes focused on the smoke. Out of it, marched a very angry, very manic Neo, swinging Hush in her hand oh so casually.
"Neo?"
"The drawback...of a Berserker Semblance activating for the first time in some cases. Everyone's seen as an enemy."
"...oh that's great."
"We need to pacify her." Albedo said. "And I have an idea how to do so with ease. But...we need a decent enough distraction."
Oscar frowned. "Let me guess. That's where I come in?"
"No." Albedo said, crouching down. "This is going to be a team effort." He began to charge up energy. "Keep up, will you?"
"I'll try," Oscar nodded.
From Neo's perspective, everything she saw was fragmented, as if she was standing in the middle of a hall of broken mirrors. Where Albedo should be, she saw Raddock. That muscle-headed idiot hadn't learned his lesson, since it looked like he was getting ready for another go. In Oscar's place, she saw someone else...no doubt another trick of the mobster's since he still copied her Semblance. It was probably the Geist disguised her. She rested her parasol on her shoulder and snapped her fingers, sending what shards she still controlled at the duo, almost in a strange reflection of Floating Array.
Albedo quickly began vibrating, and slammed his hands down on the ground. A massive surge of energy exploded out of it, blocking the projectiles. He rushed forward, and began circling around Neo.
"OSCAR!" He yelled. "ENCASE US!"
"Not where I thought this was going!" Oscar admitted, before he held out his hands, green Aura flickering around them. A similarly green dome appeared over the berserk Neo and Albedo. Neo scoffed, flicking the rim of her hat as if to say she wasn't impressed.
Albedo stopped in his tracks, and sighed. "Neo. I'm sorry I had to do this, but..." He slapped down the Ultimatrix, and morphed into a smaller, cuter form.
"...is that a fairy?" Oscar squinted.
"A Nemuina," Albedo corrected, his voice now much higher-pitched, "Just what I need for this."
"...ok?" Oscar said, totally lost.
Um...I know we're still on bad terms but do you-? Oscar asked mentally.
Unfortunately, I'm not the most experienced when it comes to the ins and outs of alien races. For once, I am just as lost as you, Ozpin answered.
Feels weird, doesn't it?
Neo snapped her fingers and fired off shard after after at the small creature, trying to impale "Raddock," but Albedo's size and speed let him fly out of the way of each shot with ease. He raced towards the berserk multi-colored girl and flew around her, releasing some kind of powder from his wings. Neo's eyelids began to feel heavy, her body losing balance. Was...was she falling asleep? No! She needed to stay awake, need to kill that bastard!
She needed to-!
And then sleep took her.
Oscar dropped the barrier, as Albedo reverted back to human. The illusion around them slowly dispelled.
"You...put her to sleep?" Oscar asked. "Is that what that alien does?"
"Correct." Albedo said, scooping Neo up carefully. "While not the strongest alien, it is the most useful power for diffusing situations like that."
"That's...wow that's gonna come in handy," Oscar said.
"Indeed, but I suggest we leave now. Ironwood has deemed us all enemies of the Kingdom, for some reason," Albedo explained.
"He WHAT?!"
"I don't have all the details, but we need to go."
"You two go," Oscar said, "I at least need to try this..."
"Oscar, Ben and the others have already probably tried-" Albedo began.
"But Ozpin hasn't. Like it or not, he sees me...us...him, differently. I might actually have a chance to get through to him. Besides I-"
Oscar's speech was interrupted by the remains of the Atlesian Knight's torso beeping. Floyd had activated two things in the AK's system. Technically speaking, the second was the self destruct. The first was an automated alert, informing any nearby squad that the drone had located three wanted fugitives. And one such squad was making its way towards the trio.
"This way!" a soldier called out, his voice echoing in the halls.
"Get Neo out of here. Find the others. I'll be fine," Oscar reassured.
"...you better be," Albedo nodded, "The other's would never let me live it down if you didn't."
Oscar chuckled. "I promise I'll meet up with you, assuming I'm not arrested or anything."
"Don't joke like that." Albedo said, before he and Oscar split up.
The guards arrived a minute too late to catch either of them.
"Damn it, they were right here. Must be another false alarm on a broken droid," the soldier cursed.
As Albedo made a mad dash to the nearest exit, he almost ran into two more of the Outcasts.
"Wait, wait, wait-!" Lev called out, just as Albedo came to a stop.
"Lev? Ari?" Albedo asked.
"What happened?" Ari asked, her eyes immediately going to Neo.
"She's fine, just asleep. Someone triggered her Berserker Semblance."
"Ironwood's guards pissed her off that much?" Lev asked.
"Not Ironwood's. Some...crime boss from Mantle. I'll give you all the details later, right now we need to-"
"...guys?" the familiar, if now worried and small, voice of Cammie spoke up.
Albedo tensed up. The Ace Op in training...I don't know her that well, but she's probably just as confused about the announcement, the human Galvan thought to himself.
"Cammie, right?" Albedo said aloud, "I'm sorry- I don't have the full truth either, but believe me when I say there has to be another side to this story."
"I...I know," Cammie said, "I can't...I can't believe that the people who helped me get considered for the Ace-Ops would be traitors. It doesn't...it doesn't line up. But..."
"But orders are orders, aren't they?" Albedo shifted so that, if she tried something, it would be him to take the hit, not the sleeping Neo.
"No...they're not," Cammie said, her voice gaining some more confidence to it, "No matter what anyone says, you can't 'program' me," she held her hand out by her front pocket and let Nugget jump into her palm. The little mechanical pet blinked and projected a holographic layout of the entire Academy.
"What are you-?" Ari started.
"What does it look like? I'm helping you four get out."
"You don't have to do this-" Albedo said.
"I do." Cammie said. "I don't know the whole truth- I don't expect to get it now. But what I do know is that Ruby Rose and her friends are NOT criminals."
"If Ironwood finds out about this, you'll be thrown in the cell next to ours," Lev warned.
"Which is why he won't hear a word of this. Because when he looks at the cameras, all he'll see is Cameron MacCloud doing her duty as a soldier of Atlas trying to stop four 'criminals' and getting either put to sleep or knocked out by whatever alien Albedo'll turn into. Torn between Diamondhead and Rath."
"I'd go easy on you and use a Segmentasapien." Albedo said.
"The Lego guy? Lame." Cammie frowned.
"Seriously...what if you get caught? Ruby would hate knowing she got you arrested." Ari said.
"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Cammie declared.
"May I?" Levi chimed in, holding out his Scroll. Cammie nodded and the Archimedian held his Scroll up to the side of Nugget's head. The little bot transferred the data over to Lev's Scroll and blinked again, shutting off the holo-projection.
"Gonna need ya to turn into the guy, just so the footage looks convincing," Cammie said.
Albedo handed Neo off to Ari. "Be gentle," He said, and Ari nodded. Albedo took a deep breath, as he morphed into his Segmentasapien form. This one was a little more saturated and 'rocky' looking, but it was still pretty...Bloxx-esqe.
"You look a little more...Kre-o than Lego," Cammie said.
"I feel like that's a matter of semantics," Albedo shrugged.
"Eh, whatever. Now, shoot me. I'll edit out the middle part before the general ever lays eyes on this so he'll just think you attacked me with plastic blocks."
Albedo took a deep breath. "This is very strange for me. I hope you realize this." He said, forming a lobber in his arm.
"Yeah." Cammie smirked. "I know."
"This may hurt," Albedo cautioned, before he fired off five different block shots at Cammie. The fifth shot actually knocked Cammie off her feet, even though Albedo made sure not to fire at full force.
"That was on her, right?" Lev asked.
"Yes, she's 'taken a dive,' I believe."
"You suck..." Cammie groaned, as the group ran off.
...please. Stay safe. Cammie thought, as she laid on the ground. Stay safe...Ruby.
Oscar was not safe.
He narrowly avoided being spotted by another patrol of soldiers, no doubt responding to some tech tricks courtesy of Lev, but he was right there. The elevator that would lean down to the vault.
Oscar took a deep breath, as he reached for the control panel.
Oscar. Are you sure about this? Ozpin asked. I can take over.
...only if things go south. Oscar replied.
As...you wish, Ozpin relented. He pressed a few buttons, the sequence known to him thanks to Ozpin, and the elevator began its descent down to the vault.
As the elevator descended, Oscar's thoughts drifted to Ironwood and his recent actions. Was Ironwood just always like this? The more Oscar thought about it, the more he realized that maybe Ironwood had always been like this, but it had just been amplified by recent events. The Fall of Beacon and the news of Salem had likely pushed Ironwood to be even more cautious and protective of Atlas.
Maybe things were made worse by Ben and the others, but there was little correlation between that. But, regardless of the reasons behind Ironwood's actions, Oscar knew he couldn't blindly follow him. He had to question his motives and decisions, and do what he thought was right, even if it went against Ironwood's orders.
And that started with talking to him.
The elevator soon shuddered to a halt, arriving at its destination. Oscar took a deep breath and sighed before the doors opened. The farm boy stepped out and walked onto the main, narrow walkway that led up to the Vault proper. The walkway widened out into a proper platform, with the door to the Vault suspended in the air on an ice-like crystal. Looking up at the door, with one hand behind his back, was the general.
"Winter," Ironwood started, "Thank you. I know...I know how difficult it must have been for you and I am so-" he turned and stopped mid-sentence upon seeing Oscar. The farm boy shrugged as he started walking towards the iron-hearted general, using the cane with each step like Ozpin would.
"And...to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" Ironwood asked, his voice having shifted back to his cold tone on a dime.
"Just me," Oscar said, "Still."
"And you didn't bring the lamp. Smart move," Ironwood nodded, "I wouldn't trust me either right now."
"And that's what I'm hoping to fix. Trust. We can still figure this out, all of it. Together. Please, James."
"...do you intend to fight me?" Ironwood asked.
"No. Because that's exactly what she wants," Oscar answered, "She wants us to fight ourselves so we don't see the wolves at our own door."
"But she succeeded anyway. You didn't see it...but I did. A Seer. Watts smuggled it in with him. It was a messenger but I wouldn't let it speak. Because I know what it means. And then I checked our transponder network, the outposts that watch the coasts and the outer borders of the Kingdom. No response. From any of them. While we were busy wasting time and resources on Mantle, Salem probably leveled them. She's already marching on this city, MY city, and we're not even ready for her. My fleet's out of position, the smaller craft are working to save civilians... You want to talk about what she wanted, THIS is what she wanted. She waited for me to turn my back and now she's moving to drive the knife in."
"General, I know things look bleak, but we can still pull through this." Oscar said. "We can rally the people of Atlas, the kingdoms of Remnant, and we can fight back against Salem. We have to try."
Ironwood looked at Oscar, his face unreadable. "You know, Ozpin always did have a penchant for hope. But sometimes, hope simply isn't enough."
"Hope isn't enough!? What, are we just gonna rob the people down in Mantle of everything?" Oscar said.
"No, of course not," Ironwood replied, "But we need to prioritize. I need to focus on protecting my citizens and preventing Salem from getting the Relic. That is our top priority. Anything else can come after."
"We can do both," Oscar argued, "We can protect Mantle and fight Salem. We just need to come up with a plan-"
"This is the plan." Ironwood resolved.
Oscar's eyes shrank in horror as he started to put it all together.
"...were you always going to let Mantle die? Cut it off like a loose end?" Oscar wondered.
"You're still so focused on one city, when the entire world's at risk," Ironwood said with a heavy sigh, "We need to think tactically here, and that means focusing our resources on the bigger threat. That bigger threat is Salem if she gets the Staff. Sometimes, we can't save everyone, that's just a sad reality. Mantle's sacrifice will not be in vain, I promise you that."
"So…that's all this is to you. Just a game of numbers," Oscar frowned. "I thought you were better than this. I trusted you- we trusted you- OZ trusted-"
"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" Ironwood yelled. "You're not even close to being him!"
Oscar's expression twisted. "You're willing to sacrifice innocent lives, to leave them to die in Mantle, just because it's easier for you to focus on your own interests!? How can you call yourself a protector of the people when you're abandoning them like this?"
Ironwood remained stoic, but Oscar could see the irritation flicker in his eyes.
"Ever life matters, even those in Mantle." Oscar continued, his voice shaking with emotion, "We can't just pick and choose who we save based on convenience. That's not what WE do. We have to do everything in our power to save everyone, not just those who are convenient for us!"
"All excellent philosophical points...which are rendered moot when you remember that the fate of every man, woman, and child on the planet is HANGING by a thread! And we are the only ones holding onto that thread. Sacrificing one city to save an entire planet? That's not a very difficult choice," Ironwood countered.
"James, listen to me-!" Oscar started.
"NO! No, you listen to me. I refuse to let others' blind idealism, self-righteousness, and inability to see the bigger picture get in the way of doing what's right. I WILL be the hero Atlas needs me to be!"
"You're not a hero if you do this...you'll be just as dangerous as her, James."
"James is what my friends call me. To you...it's General."
BANG!
In the blink of an eye, Ironwood had quickly drawn his white revolver and fired at the farm boy, landing a powerful shot right to the boy's chest.
Oscar stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock as he clutched at his chest. His Aura had blocked the shot, so the shot wasn't leath, but those bullets could still pack a punch.
Oscar stumbled backwards.
And fell.
The ice storm that Fria had summoned wasn't unseen by any bystanders.
"What was that?" Yang asked, having seen the storm from the Manta. Weiss saw it as well and, while it may have been hard to tell from the outside, she had a pretty good idea of what that was.
"Kevin, Ceres! Over there!" Weiss ordered.
"Uh, you sure? Considering that...you know, they're probably getting some Mantas ready to come after us?" Kevin asked.
"Yes, I'm sure! Now turn this damn ship over there!"
"Well you heard her," Ceres nodded and quickly obliged. Any situation that had Weiss cursing was dire. They directed the Manta over to a giant, gaping hole in the roof of the medical facility.
"Ruby, come on. I think Winter and Penny are down there!" Weiss said. Ruby looked up from Ben's resting body, and hesitated.
"I'll look after him," Kevin said. "No one's gonna touch him while you're gone. Go!"
"...okay," Ruby said, steeling herself before hopping off the Manta after Weiss. The R and W of their team jumped right into the medical facility from above, Weiss even forming a Glyph for them to land on safely. At first, they were both taken aback by the room's entirely frozen appearance, but then they both saw Penny and Winter.
"WINTER!" Weiss yelled, racing over to her sister in a panic, while Ruby slowly approached Penny. Even though her approach was obvious, the ice crunching under her boots, Penny didn't seem to react. She was looking over the limp body of an older woman resting in a bed, somberly, respectfully.
"What...what happened?" Ruby asked.
"...Cinder," Penny answered, "She found us, found the Winter Maiden."
Ruby's silver eyes looked down to the woman her mechanical friend was looking over.
"Did she...?"
"No. Fria passed the powers on...to me," Penny turned to Ruby finally, her eyes now alight with the signature energy flames of a Maiden, green in hue to reflect their new wielder's eye color.
Ruby's eyes widened. "O-oh, Penny..."
"We have to get Winter out of here," Weiss said, snapping both Ruby and Penny out of their shock. "Can you carry her?"
"N-no." Winter muttered. "Leave me here."
Weiss paused. "...what?"
"I said, leave me here," Winter repeated, her voice weak. "I can't feel my legs."
"No, we're not leaving you here," Weiss said firmly.
"...you have to."
"I am not abandoning you," Weiss countered, taking hold of Winter's hand.
"You're not abandoning me..." Winter corrected, shakily reaching for her Scroll and holding it up, showing the arrest warrant, "I'm...I'm giving you a head start."
"...Winter?"
"I'm sorry. But for the greater good of the kingdom, you need to leave..."
"N-no...you...you can't be-"
"I'd ask you all," Winter winced in pain as she tried to adjust her position on the frozen wall, "to comply with the general's orders...and surrender, but I know you. You'd refuse. I don't know...what you did Weiss, but you have your...responsibilities and I have mine," she finished, before raising two fingers up to her earpiece and calling in, "This is Special Operative Schnee in need...in need of immediate medical assistance. Send reinforcements...o-over."
"...I can't lose you today, Winter." Weiss said, voice trembling. "I...I need you. I need you with me-"
"You haven't needed me in a while, Weiss." Winter said. "I know this is scary, but..."
"It's not that it's scary!" Weiss yelled. "I can't STAND to be betrayed by my family, over and over again! Winter! Dad has FILES on us! On all of us! He never trusted us!"
"He has...what...?" Winter asked, in disbelief.
"Plans in case any of us, even the Ace-Ops went rogue! Look!" Weiss frantically searched for it and pulled out the sonic grenade that the general had thrown to disrupt her summoning. Winter's eyes were wide in shock, and every time she tried to think up a counter argument, it just caught in her throat and vanished. The proof was...irrefutable.
"For...everyone?" Penny asked, taking over for Winter for a moment.
"I...don't know if he has one for you," Ruby admitted, "You or Eunice."
Penny paused.
"...take us with you," Penny said. "...I don't think either of us belong here right now."
"We were always gonna try and find you," Ruby reassured her.
"But...he," Winter tried to say something, but a communication came in, it was Six and Holiday.
"Specialist Schnee, we're on our way. ETA fifteen minutes. Hold on," the collected voice of Six said over the comms.
"Weiss...they'll be here soon. Run," Winter ordered.
"No." Weiss defied, "Come with us, please-"
"You...you need someone...who can still fight for you. And there's a whole ship of them behind you."
"But-!" Weiss started.
"Weiss, GO! Six is on his way here and I don't know if he's willing to let you go! So for your sake and for mine, get back on that ship, take Penny with you, and GET AS FAR AWAY FROM HERE AS YOU FUCKING CAN!"
Ruby, Penny, and Weiss were all taken aback, stunned into silence by Winter's sudden f-bomb and her insistence to be left behind.
Weiss slowly stood up and walked backwards.
"...be safe." Winter muttered, trying to hold back tears. "Please."
Weiss didn't say anything as she, Ruby and Penny rushed back on the ship.
Once the three of them were back on the ship and the Manta took off again, Winter broke. Her tears started streaming down her face and there was nothing she could do to stop them any more.
Why? She thought to herself. Why did it have to end up like this? Why did both of her fathers have to be horrible, irredeemable bastards!? Why!? WHY!? WHY?
It wasn't long after that that Holiday and Six arrived. Six immediately took note of the body on the bed and went to check her vitals, while Holiday raced over to start administering treatment to Winter. She was probably saying a plethora of medical specifics, but Winter didn't care. Her mind was too busy with all of these emotions, these feelings of betrayal.
Weiss wasn't faring any better. Once the Manta had taken off, leaving the medical facility behind, Weiss just shuffled over to Kylie, wrapped her in a hug, and just started crying into her shoulder.
Kylie took a deep breath, and squeezed her hand tightly. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay...I'm here. I'm...here."
As much as Kylie wanted to believe those words, that this would be ok, she damn well knew it wasn't going to be.
Somewhere in the city of Atlas, Cinder flew down to one of the vacant rooftops. Vacant, except for two, Raddock and Floyd. Despite how pissed the Fall Maiden seemed, landing with small puffs of smoke seeping out from her mouth, her mood quickly improved. The Hana Guild boss held up the golden lamp, pointing to it with a bit of dramatic flare. Cinder actually blinked as if she was surprised, before she marched right up to the mobster and swiped it from his hand. The brute huffed and shook his head, but Cinder didn't care. She held the Relic in her hand, its gold and blue light reflecting in her amber eye.
"You actually got it..." Cinder grinned.
"Of course, I did. Have some faith in us," Raddock huffed. Floyd floated past the brute of a criminal and stopped at the rooftop's edge. While it was still under the influence of the necklace, part of its instincts managed to bubble up to the surface. Something beyond the horizon had caught its attention. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed off in the distance, catching both Cinder's and Raddock's attention. Past the tundra and over the mountains, a massive storm was rolling in towards Atlas. Raddock just crossed his arms at the storm's approach, while Cinder just grinned.
"Your timing couldn't have been better," Cinder muttered to herself.
Elsewhere, in the main military compound, Watts was sitting in one of the highest security cells that Atlas could provide on such short notice. He leaned his back against the wall and sighed. Thanks to Ironwood's rough handling, the disgraced doctor now sported a small smattering of friction burns and bruises on the right side of his face, giving him some minor eye injuries. The former Atlesian scientist sighed and then turned to look out the window of his cell, the only real source of natural light in what may as well have been a dark cellar. He took note of the approaching storm, the strange, purple colored clouds rolling towards the floating Kingdom, and he couldn't help but smirk.
"Oh James," Watts chuckled to himself, "I wish I could see the look on your face right about now."
Down in the Atlas vault, Ironwood hadn't moved from his position earlier. It was like he could still hear Oscar's words in his head before the replayed echo of his own gunshot cut them off. Part of him regretted pulling the trigger, not because he was suddenly changing his mind, but simply because of how young Oscar was. He hadn't even reached the age to enroll in any of the academies. His memory was a bit hazy since his focus was elsewhere, but if Ironwood recalled the farm boy was only a year shy of enrollment age.
A shame you'll never grow into a Hunter. You had the potential for it, Ironwood thought to himself, Didn't have to go this way. You just had to stand aside. But he couldn't dwell on that mistake forever. Any minute now, he should be getting an update from Winter about the power transfer. Once he had the Maiden powers secured, he could access the Staff and save his city.
Ding! His Scroll beeped as a message was sent through. He allowed himself first a sigh of relief before a smirk crossed his lips. At least, he'd be able to get everyone out of Salem's reach. But when he pulled out his Scroll, the message he saw was the last thing he wanted to see. It was just two words, but that was enough to enrage him.
"It's gone," Winter had texted.
Ironwood gripped the little device tightly, anger building up so much inside him that he visibly began to shake. Then, tempted to just smash the Scroll on the floor of the secret Vault, he just screamed in rage.
The single quality that is common to every living creature across this planet, and beyond, is fear. It's funny then, that as common as fear is, we so easily underestimate its power. Fear of growing close to someone and the subsequent fear...of loss. Fear of failure. And as more people depend on you, those fears can take on greater power.
Oscar's eyes bolted open as he gasped, the wind blowing against his face. He was falling, plummeting down the stone pit that was left to gape beneath the platform that lead up to the Vault's main door. The last thing he remembered was talking to the general and then-
"He shot me," Oscar muttered in disbelief.
He did. But as shocking as it is, I think we have bigger problems to worry about, Ozpin mentioned.
Oscar blinked. "...and you're monologuing." Oscar muttered, clearly angry.
Yes. I apologize for returning now, but-
"Shut up." Oscar said. "Just...not now..."
On your left, Ozpin simply directed. Oscar turned his head that way and saw Ozpin's cane falling with him. It might be his only chance to survive. He tried to push himself through the air, successfully at that, and managed to grab hold of the ancient weapon. This had to work. He closed his eyes to compose himself before he pressed down the cane's lever. The gears in the handle started to spin and turn inside the cane with audible clicks. As he raced towards the bottom of the pit, Oscar opened his eyes and reared back the cane for a thrust. He let out a battle cry as green electricity jolted around his body before he thrust the weapon forward.
The cane made contact with the stone floor of the bottom of the bit and an explosion rang out, blasting right through the stone at the bottom of Atlas' floating island.
Oscar shivered as the shock set in. "Holy crap, I lived-" He gasped, as he continued falling.
Indeed...but we still have some falling to do.
"Nothing to break through here. Jetray or Heatblast could catch me probably, but the others are probably...busy," Oscar sighed. Delayed the end but by how long? But then an idea lightbulb turned on in his head. He didn't need the others to save him. He had a way to cushion his own fall. If it worked anyway.
"How long can the shield hold?" Oscar asked.
At least a full minute...or more if you strain yourself. Ozpin replied. I see what you're planning...
"Then I have to time it just right!" the farm boy grimaced as he watched the ground get closer and closer.
Do it...NOW! Ozpin commanded, as Oscar released the shield. It seemed bigger than before, which was perfect. Oscar braced for impact as the ground raced closer-
THOOM!
Oscar's shield made impact with the ground, seemingly in the massive crater beneath the city. The cloud of dust kicked up by the impact made it impossible to tell if the farm boy had survived, until he coughed and staggered away from the impact. Waving away some of the dust, he got a good feeling of his surroundings. It seemed like he'd landed on the outskirts of a shanty town, built from scrap and some shelters even being made from shipping containers. From what Oscar could see too, the entire population of the town seemed to be poor Faunus.
"This...this must be where the poorest miners live," Oscar said.
I remember when this place was prosperous...I think I lived here once. Ozpin sighed.
"...you did?"
I believe so, yes. Far before the mining tunnels were even dug out.
Oscar began to march towards the shanty town, hoping to get some rest and maybe call in his friends. But the rest was all he'd need. As the Manta flew away from the shining city that was now against them, Ceres took note of the rather large impact cloud from the crater.
"And I think I just found Oscar," Ceres muttered.
Oscar gave a sigh of relief, and stumbled. "Thank God...it's over."
...not yet. It's only just begun... Ozpin said. And he timed it so well.
The sky started to go dark.
Oscar looked up and noted the storm rolling closer to Atlas. Hell, everyone did, from the Ace-Ops still conscious in the headmaster's office, to the Outcasts as they flew down towards Oscar and the citizens of the entire Kingdom, across all of Mantle, surviving in the shanty town, and even the upper class in Atlas proper. But that's when they all saw something, a shadow within the storm. No, not just one shadow, a swarm of shadows.
Grimm. Countless flying Grimm ranging from Manticore to a species of Grimm that none of the Outcasts had ever seen before. They dwarfed the smaller flyers, though some were still bigger than others. They resembled massive, unsettling jellyfish that floated through the sky with bell-shaped medusa bodies with long bone spines that pointed down encircling the base. Twelve large red tendrils dangled around them, often sparking with purple lightning bolts. These were the storm riding Tempests.
But they weren't the biggest shadow in the storm. The real main threat could devour the jellyfish Grimm as if they were snacks.
The real threat...was Monstra.
In comparison to Nevermores and Sphinxes, Monstra was an absolutely enormous Grimm that resembled a sperm whale. The head of this creature was devoid of eyes and radiated an orange light, like that of a Seer. On the inside of its head, a whale's skull could be seen. Monstra had five pairs of red bat-wing-like fins, which allowed it to fly as easily as its normal counterparts could swim. Additionally, it looked to have enormous, purple crystalline spikes and gray pebbles on its top and lower torso.
But the real horror was what those crystals were. At first glance, one might have assumed they were Corrodium. But thankfully, it seemed that creating a biohazard wasn't the aim of this creature. No, instead the purple crystals on its body were massive deposits of Gravity Dust.
Salem had broken every rule with this thing.
Speaking of the Grimm Queen, it seemed that her flare for the dramatic had faded since Beacon. She strode atop the monstrous sky-whale's back, sporting the same outfit she wore when fighting Ozpin's previous incarnation atop the ruined Beacon Tower. Zs'skayr phased up through the whale to appear behind her, his true form shielded from the light by the storm that surrounded the Grimm whale.
"Some...would say that fear itself isn't worth the concern," Salem began, picking up on Ozpin's monologue as if she knew what he'd said mere moments ago, "but rather who you become in its clutches. Wondering if you recognize the person in the mirror when fear finds you. But that seems a bit...naïve, because there's something else you're ignoring. While you avoid the feeling of fear and focus on how it affects you as a person, you forget...its source. The source of your fear will not wait for you to come to terms with yourself, with your true self. "
A third figure marched atop the whale's back, resting a massive blade against the Grimm's thick hide. The newcomer's crimson eyes narrowed and locked onto the city of Atlas. The last time he was here, he only ever saw that shining island from below, from panicked and bloodied streets. Toppling such a monument to isolation and ignorance would be a privilege.
"Fear will not hesitate...and neither will I," Salem finished, a smile coming to her lips.
This was the eve of the final days of Atlas and those last words seemed to resonate with the entire kingdom, as all of Atlas' citizens, above and below, could not help but shiver.